The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Lagos State University (LASU) chapter, on Wednesday said it would continue to protect and ensure justice for its members.
Its Chairman, Dr Ibrahim Bakare, spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), while reacting to the 25 lecturers sacked by the university authorities for not possessing the requisite doctoral degrees.
NAN reports that the sacked academic staff were mainly Lecturer I and II, some of whom had worked for 33 years in LASU without acquiring doctoral degrees.
The LASU Governing Council advised them to disengage from the university after the consideration of Appointments and Promotions (Academic) Committee (APC)’s reports.
Bakare said: “As a union, one of our objectives is to ensure we protect our members from any form of unfairness and injustice.
“Recently, some lecturers were called to update their records on completion of their programmes with a committee set up by the university management.
“After the investigation, it was actually approved that 25 colleagues, who did not update their information on completion of their doctorate degrees should disengage from the university.
“The union intervened immediately by having meeting with the university management.
“The university management encouraged that those who have additional documents should appeal through the ASUU- LASU Secretary to the Governing Council,” he said.
Bakare said he prayed that those with genuine cases would be reinstated to the university.
“We all know that this process is a university policy; the good news is that the university management is ready to collaborate with the union to rectify any error or mistake,” the chairman said.
Bakare also urged Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the LASU Vice-Chancellor Selection Committee to appoint the best candidate at the end of the process among the contenders.
“We have no doubt in our minds that the outcome of the fresh process will once again bring about the best candidate,” he said.
Also, Mr Ademola Adekoya, the institution’s Head of Centre for Information, Press and Public Relations, said that those affected were in different Departments including Mathematics, Foreign Languages, Business Law, Public and Private Law, Philosophy, among others. (NAN)
Editor’s Note: Newsdiaryonline has received feedback from LASU lecturers who told the newspaper the story above reflects the views of a “faction” of ASUU.Another lecturer was angrier.
